Window and sash construction



March 23, 1937. o. M. EDWARDS 2,074,377

/ WINDOW AND SASH CONSTRUCTION I Filed April 10, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 4 F .l IN-VENTOR.

I BY%M/% ATTORNEYS.

' March 23, 1937. o. M. EDWARDS WINDOW AND SASH CONSTRUCTION Filed April 10; 1935 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY5.

Patented Mar. 23, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WINDOW AND SASH CONSTRUCTION Application April 10, 1935, Serial No. 15,649

3 Claims.

This invention relates to window frame and sash constructions, particularly applicable to vehicles as railway cars, buses, etc., and has for its principal object automatically operable means for adjusting the frame or sash guides to variations in the width of the sashes and to misalinements of the frame or post structure or the sash out of the vertical, and to center the sash in the window or frame opening, together with means for fixing the sash guides in the position to which they are automatically adjusted in order, to permanently maintain the adjustment, until furtheradjustments may be necessary or desirable, because of wear, etc., so that the operation, that is, the raising and lowering of the sash, remains uniform under all conditions.

It further has for its object an automatic adjusting means including springs interposed between the sash guides and the adjacent part of 5 the frame and acting on the sash in a widthwise direction to eifect the automatic adjusting and centering, and means for fixing the sash guides in the position to which they are adjusted to the sash by the springs, so that the springs are no longer effective to effect the adjustment, or to shift the guides, after the adjustment is once made, and the sash is relieved of any brake-shoe effect of the guides that would otherwise result if the guides were responsive to the spring pressure.

It further has for its object a particular spring construction and arrangement for effecting the adjustment.

Other minor objects will appear throughout the specification.

The invention consists in the novel features and in the combinations and constructions hereinafter set forth and claimed.

In describing this invention, reference is had to the accompanying drawings in which like characters designate corresponding parts in all the views. V 7 Figure 1 is a fragmentary elevation of a sash and window frame structure embodying this invention.

Figure 2 is a greatly enlarged cross sectional view on the plane of 2-2,Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a fragmentary detail View of one of the sash guides showing the preferred form of adjusting springs and also the preferredmeans for holding the guide from slipping after being clamped in its adjusted position.

Figure 4 is a side elevation view, similar to Figure 3, partly in section looking to the left, Figure 3.

This invention is an improvement on that of Patent No, 1,974,637, issued to Roy T. Axe, September 25, 1934. In said patent, the edgewise ad- 5 justment of the sash guides is effected by means of screws and the like, and the adjustment, after being made, is permanent until further adjustment may be necessary, by clamping or otherwise holding the sash guides in the position to which '10 they have been adjusted by the screws. Although the construction of the patent is highly satisfactory and has gone into quite extensive commercial use, nevertheless because of the fact that I workmen in assembling the window equipment in 15 the window openings of vehicles, buses, etc., would not take the time to make accurate adjustment by means of the screws, special attention would have to be given in many instances to the sashes by the customer. In order to avoid such in-at- 20 tention on the part of the workmen, it was desirable to eliminate the necessity of skill and attention on the part of the assembler, by devising a sash structure in which the adjustment took place automatically, maintaining in the 25 automatic adjustment, all the advantages of the fixed adjustment of said patent.

This invention, therefore, comprises a window and sash construction in which the guide memher at each side of the sash is adjustable in a di- 30 rection edgewise of the sash, together with means for automatically adjusting the guide members to conform to slight variations in the Width of standard sashes and misalinements of the sash and/or the post structure, and also to center the 35 sash, and in addition, means for holding the guide members in their adjusted position, so as to be unshiftable and immovable, after the adjustment is made, and during raising and lowering of the sash. The automatic adjusting means are preferably springs interposed between the guide members and the frame and acting to press the guide members inwardly in a direction edgewise and the holding means preferably act to clamp the guide members in the position they are initially' placed by the springs. The guide members slidably interlock withthe sash and are assembled as a unit with the sash in the frame or window opening. The spring means are then brought 50 into action to adjust the guide members and to center the sash'and the guide members permanently clamped in their adjusted position.

Heretofore, it has been old to press guide -members by means of springs, but the springs are 55 always relatively heavy and strong and effective on the guide members to shift them, so that the guide members act on the sash with more or less of a brake-shoe action.

In this window sash, the springs are merely strong enough to cause the guide members to conform to the sash and to center the sash in the window opening before the guide members are fixed or clamped in their adjusted position, and then when the guide members are fixed in their adjusted position, the springs are ineffective to further shift the guide members and to cause them to act brake-shoe fashion.

The window frame, generally, includes side members 2 between which the sash slides, these members being usually referred to as the post structure. The frame, including the post structure, may be of any suitable form, size and construction. In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the post structure 2 has applied thereto a metal strip 3 forming one side and bottom of a channel 4, the other side of which is formed by a movable clamping strip to be presently described. The strip 3 forms a base to which the adjustable guide members are secured, there being a strip 3 on each side of the window opening.

5 designates the adjustable guide members, these including a base portion 6 located in the channel 4. As here illustrated, each sash guide member also includes a central flange 7, as in the Axe patent referred to, for entering into the groove of a weather strip 8 extending along the edge of each sash 9, although, insofar as the invention is concerned, the guide members may be of any other suitable form to slidably interlock with the sash. Both the strip 3 and guide members are formed rigid without appreciable resiliency, and are usually formed by extruding.

The means for automatically adjusting the guide members edgewise relative to the sash comprises spring means located in the channel and interposed between each guide member and the bottom of the adjacent channel. The spring means are arranged to press the guide members edgewise relative to the sash. There are a plurality of springs for each guide member, spaced apart from each other along the length of the guide member. As here illustrated in Figures 1, 2 and 3, the springs are bowed leaf springs, each pivoted at one end to one of two parts between which it is interposed and pressing at its free end against the other part.

II] designate the springs, and in the illustrated embodiments of the invention, each spring is pivoted at H to swing laterally or at a right angle to the plane of the sash, out of the channel, when the clamping strip is removed for a purpose to be hereinafter described. As here shown, each spring I0 is pivoted to a base plate l2 secured in any suitable manner to the outer side of the guide member 5, that is, the side toward the bottom of the channel i. The guide member 5 on each side of the channel is provided with springs so that action of the springs tends to center the sash in the window opening or in the frame. For the purpose of locating the guide members and preventing endwise shifting upward before the guide members are fixed in their adjusted position, each guide member is formed with a shoulder I3 coacting with a lug on the frame member 2.

As shown in Figure 1, the springs ID are located toward the intermediate portion of each guide member 5 and extend from their pivots toward each other, this arrangement facilitating the automatic adjustment of the guide members with the least amount of spring pressure. Each base plate I2 is mounted on the bottom side of the guide member, that is, the side toward the bottom of the channel 4 in which the guide member is located.

As shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3, each guide strip 5 is formed with a channel 5 in the bottom side thereof and the base plate [2 seats in this channel 5 In order to prevent the assembler from swinging the springs l0 into a position, other than intended, that is, into a position other than that in which they extend toward each other (Figure 1) means is provided for locating these springs i0. As here shown, the base plate l2 for each spring is formed with shoulders 12 (Figure 3) which prevent the placing of the springs into their final position in any other position than is shown in Figure 1 in which they extend toward each other.

The means for permanently holding the guide members in their adjusted position comprises a removable strip M which forms one side of the channel 4 and this strip is detachably secured to the channel-shaped strip 3 in any suitable manner, as by screws l5, extending through holes in the strip l4 and threading into the lugs i6 provided on the bottom of the angular or channelshaped strip 3, these lugs being so located as not to interfere with the springs. When the screws are tightened, the strip I4 is clamped against one side of the guide members 5, thrusting the same snugly against the opposite sides of the channel 4. During the clamping, it may fulcrum at M on the edge of the base strip 3.

Equipment suppliers supply the base plate 3, guide members and sash to the car builder and the car builder applies the base plate 3 to the window openings, and then applies the sash with the guide members arranged with their tongues or flanges I in the channel 4 and when this is done, the springs are in such position that they are located out of the channel. The springs are then swung into the channel, this requiring compression of the spring by the workmen. The springs then react on the guide members to press the guide members edgewise against the sash, thus centering the sash in the window opening or frame and causing it to conform to misalinements and to fit the sash with very little friction effect but without looseness. The clamping strips I4 are then applied, the screws l5 tightened, so that now the guide members are fixedly held in their adjusted position and can not shift and the springs are rendered ineffective to shift the guide members.

The sash is provided with sash holders 2| usually carried by the lower rail thereof and each including a locking bolt 22 arranged in the bottom rail of the sash and operable through the edge thereof into coaction with an opening in the window frame or some part associated therewith. 'I'he bolts here shown pass into suitable openings or slots 23 (see Figures 2 and 3) provided in the guide members 5, on one side of the guide rib or flange 7 thereof and preferably on the inner side, that is, the side toward the in terior of the vehicle or the inner side of the window. The weather strip 8 located in the channel at each edge of the sash is U-shaped or provided with a channel for receiving the rib or flange 1 of the sash guide member, as in Patent No. 1,974,637. This U-shaped weather strip extends the full length of each side of the sash and is therefore provided with a passage through which the bolt 22 passes.

What I claim is:

1. In a window sash construction, a frame formed with channels on each side thereof and including clamping strips at each side of the frame forming one side of each channel, sash guide members carried by the frame at each edge of the sash and having base portions in the channels, the guide members being adjustable independently of each other in a direction edgewise of the sash and relative to the frame, spring means interposed between each guide member and the bottom of each channel, said spring means being secured to one of the parts between which it is interposed and shiftable relatively to said part into the channel after the guide has been placed in the channel, the spring means being arranged to press the guide members in an edgewise direction to conform to the sash and to center the sash, said clamping strips coacting with the guide members to hold them in their adjusted position, and means for clamping the strips against the guide members.

2. In a Window sash construction, a frame formed with a channel on one side thereof and including a strip forming one side of the channel, a sash guide member carried by the frame and having a base portion in the channel, the guide member beingadjustable edgewise in the channel, 'means for automatically adjusting the guide member including a spring pivoted to the guide member and arranged to be shifted on its pivot from a position out of the channel into the channel when the strip is removed, and means for clamping the strip in position against the guide member and holding it in its adjusted position.

3. In a window and sash construction in which the sash is slidable in the window frame, the combination of a window frame, sash guide members carried by the frame at opposite edges of the sash and each being adjustable independently of the other in a direction edgewise of the frame and the sash, the sash and the guide members slidably interfitting, spring means for automatically adjusting each guide member edgewise relatively to the frame and the sash for causing the guide members to be positioned to conform to misalinements in the frame and in the sash and to center the sash and effect an automatic accurate preliminary adjustment of the guide members Without manual manipulation of the adjusting means and without displacement of the sash from the window frame, and means manually operable from the exterior of the window frame while the sash is slidab'le therein for firmly holding each sash guide member fixedly in its automatically adjusted position and relieving the same of the action of the automatic adjusting means.

OLIVER M, EDWARDS. 

